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FLUENCY AS A DISCIPLINE ASSIGNMENT
DSMN520: Spiritual Formation (B02)
March 10, 2023
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Contents
Journal 1: Meditation & Memorization............................................................3
Journal 6: Church Membership and Community...........................................10
Journal 7: Spiritual Planning.........................................................................12
Journal 8: Reflections....................................................................................14
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Journal 1: Meditation & Memorization
1. “No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1).
no condemnation comes to those who are in Christ Jesus. Since God the Father does not
condemn Jesus, neither can the Father condemn those in Jesus. For any who believe, he
has taken our condemnation already. We did deserve condemnation for sinfulness and
rebellion, but God made a way through his Son to forgive us and redeem us from his
wrath. He loves us, but his justice is perfect, requiring a perfect sacrifice.
2. “do not live accord to the flesh” (8:1).
In the flesh, we lived for ourselves, and our death would mean passing into
condemnation.
3. “spirit of life” (8:2).
the “law of the Spirit of Life” is like the laws of physics—if we understand this law, we
an see how to walk consistently in a manifestation of God’s holy power in
. “made me free from the law of sin” (8:2).
The only way to escape from the law of sin and death is to access the direction of the
Spirit of life through faith in Christ. Because we have faith in Christ, God has given to us
His Spirit that brings life. That has set us free from the law or principle of sin and death.
5. “weak through the flesh” (8:2)
We are weak because of our carnal nature. Our nature has a side to it that has no
character and no self-control.
6. “condemned sin the flesh” (8:3).
The flesh is anything anti-Christ down from actions, beliefs, feelings, thoughts,
behaviors, sickness, death, poverty, lack, etc. Almost every problem, including pride,
exhausts itself as either above god or in direct opposition to God.
7. “righteous requirement of the law” (8:4).
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This fulfillment of the law in loving others is rendered not in our own strength but by the
presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such
things, there is no law.”
8. “who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (8:4).
Those that are not controlled by the flesh, which is in selfish nature that is opposed to
God with a carnal mind, are guided by the Spirit of the righteous, which are the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
and self-control.
9. “those who live according to the flesh” (8:3).
Not only are we sinful people who are bound to the actions of sinful nature in
succumbing to our temptations, but we are so bound to sin that it is in our
minds all the time. The more we sin, the more sin becomes part of our
nature. Those things each person thinks of as to whom they are getting attention.
10 “who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” (8:5)
living according to the Spirit means living Christ-like. This comes from setting aside our
wants and needs according to the flesh. We are guild by a Christ-like walk of life by the
holy spirit.
11. “carnally minded is death” (8:6).
It is more than the action that chooses sin/death or Spirit/life. What we allow to take hold
of in our thoughts dictates life or death. Now our thoughts often eventually dictate what
we do, but life or death comes from the thoughts we allow and, more so, those we linger
on.
12. “spiritually mindedEisElife and peace.” (8:6).
To have a spiritual mind is to have the mind set on spiritual things filled with holy desires
and purposes, which bring peace of mind that you no longer have to struggle with the
flesh and have control over the flesh, which God guides you.
13. “carnal mindEisEenmity against God” (8:7).
We choose pride, or we choose humility and submission to God. There cannot be a
combination. Joshua 24:15 calls for the choice of which god to serve, the Lord as he
commits to, or the other options of a man-made god born out of pride. God and pride
cannot be done together, as sin is hostile to God.
14. “not subject to the law of God” (8:7).
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Before this chapter, Paul addressed the Jews and held firm to the Jewish Law. Paul has
also already pointed out how the law shows us our sins. Now he is pointing out that
without controlling the Spirit, focusing only on the law, one cannot obey the rules
anyway.
15. “those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (8:8).
If we allow the flesh to control us, we give in to those sinful natures that will be against
God. In doing so, we cannot please God because we live in sin to please the flesh.
16. “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit” (8:9).
Letting the Spirit take hold of our lives or asking the Spirit to lead us means complete
surrender to the Spirit.
17. “indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you” (8:9).
For those to believe in Christ, let it be known that you are not your own but belong to
God. For Christ is your savior because you are a believer in the Lord. For Christ, he died
for us at a price. God has given us His spirit, so we have the mind to live according to His
ways.
18. “does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” (8:9).
If we do not have the spirit of Christ, which is His desire for us to live according to the
spirit of righteousness, but anyone that does not live this way, live according to the flesh
without self-control and do what you allow the flesh to do.
19. “Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin” (8:10).
It is only so far as you do not give in to your own will that sin is practically dead, and the
Spirit of God acts freely.
20. “the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (8:10).
Our spirit is corrupted, yet when the Holy Spirit performs his miracle of grace in bringing
a dying sinner to new life in Christ, the Holy Spirit lives in the believer. Righteousness is
the life of God in you, and your spirit is life because of righteousness.
22. “the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you” (8:11).
God’s spirit was in Jesus, and his death was the price of being a man with no sin. Because
He had no sin, death was a brief state of affairs.
23. “He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies” (8:11).
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Jesus rose, and his body was made new. The same would occur to those because of their
faith in Christ.
24. “we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.” (8:12).
25. “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die” (8:13).
To those for whom continual a life dedicated to sin is not pleasing the Holy Spirit to
control the flesh, since death is a spiritual death through their sinful ways.
26. “the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body; you will live” (8:13).
There is a death mandatory for the nature of sin; Paul recommends it is a death of their
sinful ways provides a person in linking with Christ can live.
27. “Many are led by the Spirit of God” (8:14).
God is for all who submit to Christ, which makes us His children whom He would chase
no matter the cost.
29. “did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear” (8:14).
When coming across the word “fear,” I think of Zach Williams’s song Fear is a Liar,
having used that song often with student-athletes. Fear is the thought of inadequacy.
Thoughts I have more frequently myself lately. That is in contradiction to submission to
Christ. The Spirit is in control, so what is there to fear? Yet, we all need this reminder
that Paul places here, as, in my experience, fear is often the pathway to sin.
30. “received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba,[e] Father.” (8:15).
Our spirit is that sinful nature spirit that isolates us from God. Through adoption, a child
is welcomed into a family. The child is now a part of the family, and with that comes the
values of God through His Spirit.
31. “The Spirit Himself bears witness” (8:16).
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32. “our spirit that we are children of God” (8:16).
In God’s adoption, His Spirit joins our spirit, which does not mean we have never been
tempted again. However, the bondage to the exact sinful nature is gone as it is no longer
part of the family’s morals.
33. “if children, thenEheirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (8:17)
In ancient times the adopted child was often moved into a higher position of the hierarchy
of heirs. The adopted child was one chosen, so the worthiness was less in question then.
In being to the family of God, despite our natural sinful disposition, we are made worthy
of Him. This is only possible by the payment from Jesus, but when He pays our debt, we
can receive the glory in God.
34. “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy of being compared with the glory” (8:18).
The suffering we cannot hide from and must embrace, even though it feels difficult, is
short-lived compared to what follows this life. Furthermore, the negative comes nowhere
near offsetting the positive of the glory with God.
35. “earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God”
(8:19).
Over and over to this point in Romans, we are reminded of our sin and then reminded of
consequences and separation. God living within one, through acceptance, repentance, and
submission to Him, means the penalty is paid, and in God’s eyes of justice, the ledger is
balanced.
36. “the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly” (8:20).
37. “creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of [f]corruption” (8:20).
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God created people in His image. We were the crown jewel of His creation. When we
rebelled and chose our way and sin above Him, it separated us and led to a world filled
with evil that forces all things into the punishment of being surrounded by evil and death.
38. “bondage of [f]corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (8:21).
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39. “the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until no” (8:22).
Mankind enters this world through the mother, and the birth pain reminds us of our sinful
nature because of their disobedience. This pain will continue because of our sinful nature.
40. “have the first fruits of the Spirit” (8:23).
41. “we groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body”
(8:23).
God will provide us with new bodies to destroy man’s sinful nature when that final
judgment day comes.
42. “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope” (8:24).
This desire and enthusiasm come not from who we are but from whom we will become.
Those that turn to Christ right before death have the hope that they will be saved. But for
those who have submitted to Christ and have time in this world to do his will.
43. “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly await it with perseverance” (8:25).
44. “Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses” (8:26).
45. “we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes
intercession” (8:26).
Because we are confused during our prayer, and it seems we do not know what to pray
for, the holy spirit intercedes, for the holy spirit knows our heart.
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.46. “He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is” (8:27).
We could not hide from God even if we tried; it’s impossible. He sees us in all situations. He
knows our intentions even when we are trying to mislead others.
47. “He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (8:27).
The connection of the Spirit to the believers is that His desire will direct and plead for us in
prayer.
48. “to those who are the called according to His purpose” (8:28).
Our purpose is to know the Word of God, His Scriptures, that have been outlined in
Christ. All the purposes and plans of God are seen and revealed in Christ.
49. “He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn
among many brethren” (8:29).
Christ proved the way to salvation for those that believe and follow Him. He also paid
the price for others to could follow Him.
50. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (8:31).
The power of God is more significant than any other power which could take hold in our
lives. When God is for us, nothing can stand against us. Nothing in this world can not and
will not bring down the one who serves Him.
51. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, persecution,
famine, nakedness, peril, or sword?” (8:35).
There is no limit to what God will take on in the pursuit and salvation of each of us.
God's love allows the believer to be a victor in difficulty; God walks with us through
every adversity and hardship.
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Journal 6: Church Membership and Community
After reviewing the video and reading about Leeman, I wonder about my commitment to the
church and how much I have invested in building the body of Christ. Being part of the church
community was once a real struggle for me. I have always looked for faults in the church, maybe
not the church itself but the people or leadership, looking to see if they are really about serving
Christ or if it is just a business for them. I would instead think of the ladder, but I have had some
bad experiences plus, I am not a person that would easily fit into a group, trying to associate
myself with others with the same beliefs. Still, I would like to classify this as time early in
walking with Christ. Leeman states, “If you are a Christian living in a Western democracy,
chances are you need to change how you think about your church and how you are connected to
it. Most likely, you underestimate your church. You belittle it. You misshape it in a way that
misshapes your Christianity.”1
For the past ten years, I have been a part of a Church family, doing everything I could to
be a contributor, but something was still missing, and I tried explaining this to my wife, who
herself has been in the Church at a very early age. I could see or fill what I felt, but my
spirituality was not there, I had to try leaning on the leadership of my church, but it was not
successful. I still felt empty inside, fighting the demons of my past. With some personal issues
concerning my family and the Church we belong to, we had to leave because we felt it was not
for us anymore. I was unsure if this was good, but it pushed me to find the Lord, or let me say he
saw me because of my struggles. I was lost and frustrated until two years ago; the Lord brought
1 Jonathan Leeman, Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus, 9Marks: Building
Healthy Churches (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 22.
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me to my knees; it was such a heart-retching feeling, and this is where I found mine spiritually in
the Lord. My heart was lifted, and I could not wait to spread that joy I had finally found.
Although we left the church, we had been attending for over 8 yrs. We continued to keep in
touch with the ministers we were close to. One of the elders in the Church I used to attend was
doing bible study via conference line. I attended every week, then he started doing a discipleship
class every other Thursday, and I also started attending. Then my wife started attending the
classes with me, and we were so much closer that we started doing our own study nights.
we got our kids involved. I realized that the church starts with you; others will begin to see if
that’s who you are as my faith grew with my wife, I succeeded in relationship, knowledge, and
dependence on Christ. I could not keep this to myself, so we invited other couples
struggling in their church and relationship.
As I began to communicate with others, it was interesting to find that others had problems
identifying their spirituality and their faith in the Lord; I had to be a witness to them by
explaining the trouble I had been through and that if your heart is really looking for the Lord, he
will come to them. In Foundations of Spiritual Formations, Pettit writes, “Spiritual formation
involves members of the body maturing together toward Christlikeness, by the power of the Holy
Spirit and according to biblical standards.”2 I believe this to be true; a few men in my group
always uses the phrase “iron sharpens iron” in Proverbs 27:17: “As iron sharpens iron, so one
man sharpens another.” There is a mutual benefit in rubbing two iron blades together; the
edges become sharper, making the knives more efficient in cutting and slicing. Likewise,
the Word of God is a “double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), and it is with this we are to
2 Paul Pettit, ed., Foundations of Spiritual Formation: A Community Approach to Becoming Like Christ
(Kegel Publishing, 2008), 269
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sharpen one another—in times of meeting, fellowship, or any other interaction. While the Spirit
and the Word are at the heart of spiritual formation, it is about coming together within the
community to develop relationships, bonds, and trust, which all start with breaking the ice and
meeting more parts of this body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27).
Journal 7: Spiritual Planning
In my growth plan, I am looking to increase my role in applying more time to my prayer. I
work from home, so I know this is possible. I start my day around 8 am and until 3:30 pm, so I
have gotten used to taking 15 minutes before I begin to work and just praying for my time; I
am not distracted with work. This also helps me throughout my day because my mind is always
on Jesus, plus with my understanding, the work I do is not for me but for Him, so I can always
find a way to give me glory for my success. I have also picked up the strategy in my bible.
study; at least three times a day, I choose three sections of Psalms by selecting the day from
which that number falls, then add 15 to the section I read in the morning, and continue to add.
Fifteen two more times, one during my lunch period and the last during the evening after dinner.
I have been doing this for two weeks now, plus my wife has decided to join me; we text each
other about what we have read and, in some instances, what we may be going through during
our day, that passage lines up, which is so unique to us because I think the Lord gives us what we
Need, and this allows me to concentrate on him a little more.
Another idea I picked up from my wife is to journalize my thoughts with the Lord, to
remember what he has done, how, some issues I may face, and what victory I have had over
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those issues. Since the start of this class in spiritual formation, I am more aware of the sins of
my nature, and to combat that is to realize I am in a battle, and I must be preparing each day to
fight the flesh and others that may place me in a wrong mode. The past Sunday, March 6, 2023,
a minister I know asked if I could give a sermon during his zoom broadcast; of course, I had to
think about it for a minute and tell him I would do it. He gave me a couple of weeks to decide
what I would speak on. I felt this was a no-brainer; I spoke on wearing the armor of God
because I know that each day, we are battling from within ourselves.
Also, I will be starting a bible class via teleconference with my close relatives, brothers,
sisters, nephews, and nieces. The reason I chose this group is that they are truly lost when it
comes to Christ, and to strengthen my walk will be to study and research more before giving my
class, one problem I have been thinking over is when to start; I am trying to pick a day when
most of them are available; once I lock this down, this is something I look forward to doing,
also, to advance my study and before giving my class, I will review what I will discuss with a
senior elder, this way I will be able to make sure I am on the right path and add to those discuss
why I chose a specific topic, and what others can get from that discussion.
As my family is looking for a new church home, we have visited more than
one local church in the area. We have met charming people and developed
relationships, just checking up on each other. But I have not decided if this is where we would
like to be, but until then, I am active in my community with neighbors joining once a week to
discuss issues we have sense; I am the board president and finding out what others know
about Christ because I am willing to bring prayer at our board meeting each month.
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Journal 8: Reflections
This past Sunday, March 5, 2023, I had a most excellent opportunity to share the gospel with
some people I knew, and with some I did not know. The most exciting part of this was a Zoom
meeting. My most trusted person who has been training me during bible study and discipleship
class, well, he was on the call, which I did not know at first. Still, toward the end of my sermon, I
noticed he was on the conference call, but I did not let that extract from delivering the word. At
first, I was nervous because I had never talked to a large audience before, but about 15 min into
it, I began to find my groove. Before that day, I wrote out my plan for the week, placing each
topic in the order I would discuss. After my hour-long talk about the gospel, specifically the
armor of God, a few ministers in the meeting called me right after to let me know how well I did,
knowing this was my first time giving the gospel to several people. I was informed that I stayed
on point, I did not ramble off, and that it was interesting to hear my thoughts on what and how to
protect our spirituality and that we must discipline ourselves and such a matter to grow and
mature in our walk with Christ. I thought I did well, but not like they explained how I delivered
my message.
